Virus

The topics to be discussed:

What is a Virus Viral properties Virus components Mechanisms of viral replication Methods of viral cultivation Types of viral cultivations applied recently The roles of viruses as teratogenic agent A brief story about AIDS The mechanisms how HIV destroy immune system

What is a virus?, What are its properties?

Viruses are disease-causing agents They are obligate parasites in their hosts They are not sufficient to be called as a cell They show living properties when interaction with their hosts occur They can replicate while infecting their hosts Their size is so tiny (Much smaller than smallest bacterial cells) Generally, they cannot be killed by using antibiotics Their genetic materials either in the form of DNA or RNA (They never have both)

Viral components
Main components of a virus:
Nucleic acids (genetic materials) Mantel Protein often called as caspid Bilayer membrane called Envelope

Nucleic acids
The genetic materials of a virus can be either DNA or RNA This can be double stranded or single stranded Linier or circular, sometimes segmented

Viral components (cont )

Caspid
This component surround the genetic materials The main function is to protect genetic materials and to provide the virus with specific morphology Caspid mediate or facilitate the attachment of a virus to its hosts Consists of one or more viral specific proteins

Viral components (cont )

Envelope
A structure that is located outside of the caspid It is composed of a bilayer membrane This structure is easily destroyed by application of extreme temperature, pH lower than 6 or higher than 8, compounds that solving lipid or other chemical compounds for lipid solvents A specific protein that can recognize a specific protein located on the surface of the viral hosts Note: Not all viruses posses this envelope component
Those with no envelope are referred to as naked viruses

Size and morphology of viruses

Host range and host specificity

Host Range
Types of organisms that can be infected by a virus This host range can either be wide narrow Example or a virus with narrow host range is the virus that causes polio (this virus can only infect and cause disease in human) Example of a virus with a wide host range: the virus that causes rabies
This virus can cause can infect many types of vertebrates and other hot-blooded animals

Host range and host specificity (Cont ) Host specificity

Type of specific cells that can be infected by a virus
Example 1 Virus Wart: can only infect cells of skin Example 2 Megalovirus can infect salivary gland cells, digestive tract cells, Cells of lungs, heart, and other organs

Host specificity is determined by the ability of a virus to attach to its hosts This is also determined by the availability of enzymes in its host needed by the virus during its replication processes

Stages of the replication of viruses

Generally, there are 5 stages required by viruses to complete their life cycle (replication process):
Adsorption Penetration Synthesis of viral components Maturation process Bursting or release

Replication process of T4 virus (Bacteriophage)

T4 virus is an obligate parasite in E. coli Its genetic material is a double stranded DNA Firstly discovered by Frederic Twort in 1915 Its body consists of head, collar, and tail

Adsorption of T4 virus in E. coli

Initiated by attachment of the tail component on the surface of host cell (E. coli) This attachment occurs at the specific receptor on the surface of host cells This receptor is a specific protein recognized by the viral protein for attachment Part of the virus that recognize the hosts protein is called the recognition factor

Penetration of T4 virus to E. coli

The virus releases lysozyme to degrade the cell wall of the bacterial cells The tail of the phage injects the genetic materials (DNA) into the host cells Other viral components, such as head, collar, and part of its tail remain outside of the host cells

Synthesis of T4 virus in E. coli

Viral DNA controls the process of synthesis within the host cells viral DNA is transcribed and caspid of the virus and other enzymes are started to be synthesized Some enzymes produced function in the replication of phage DNA All of these process use energy produced by the host cells

Maturation of the T4 virus in E. coli

The head of the virus is assembled from the caspid protein The DNA is wrapped by the head Once the head carry sufficient DNA, the activity of the endonuclease will cut the excessive DNA Other part of the virus, such as basal, collar, and sheath are assembled on the head part The tail fiber will be added at the last step of the maturity

Release virus T4 dari sel E. coli

The virus produces enzyme that can alter the membrane structure of the bacterial cells This will make it easier for the virus to cross the membrane of the host This is coupled by the activity lyzozyme of phage that lyse the cell wall of the host The Virus is released from the host and ready to infect other new bacterial cells This cycle is called lytic cycle The time interval (burst time) to complete the cycle is app. between 20-40 munutes The number of new viruses released (burst time) is: 50 -200 phaga

Cultivating viruses of animal origin

Initially it is difficult to cultivate viruses in vitro, because they obligate parasites And then a chicken egg medium is found to be useful for cultivating viruses (Herpes virus, poxviruses, and influenza causing virus Main problem normally arise in this method is contamination by bacteria and the presence of egg protein that can interfere the viral growth These problems can be overcome by:
Application of antibiotics Application of proteolytic enzymes

This culture is a monolayer matrix

Types of cell culture applied

Primary cell culture Strain-strain diploid fibroblast Continuous cell line

Primary cell culture

This culture is directly collected non-sub cultured animal cells The cells are normally taken from young animals/young cells The cells are taken from muscle and epithelial cells This can be used to culture several viruses

Diploid Strain-strain fibroblast

The most favorable method for cultivating viruses in vitro Cells of fibroblast taken from tissues of a baby These cells are able to divide continuously at high rate These cells can be used to cultivate any types of viruses This method is often used in the production of vaccine, because they contamination-free culture.

Continuous cell line

These cells are able to perform unlimited continuous division Normally they are originated from tumor/cancer cells The most famous example is the HeLa Line The cells were taken from tumor cells of a woman who suffering from cervix cancer This culture has been maintained since 1951 to date The culture is easily to get contamination from other group of Cell Line (the disadvantage)

Viruses and teratogene

Teratogenes are substances or agents that can cause defect on the baby during pregnancy Some viruses are known as teratogene, and the can enter the host through the placenta There are three types of viruses are known as teratogene
CMV (Cyto Megallo Viruses) Herpes Symplex type I and II Rubella viruses

Recently, 1% of birth is infected by CMV, causing infection on nerve and mental retardation, Some victims also undergo heart malfunctions and lymph enlargement.

Virus and Teratogen (lanjutan..)

Infection of herpes virus normally occurs just after giving birth Some defects caused by this virus:
Permanent defect on eyes And central nerve system

Rubella
Infection occurs in the first 3 moths of pregnancy Can cause deft, defect of touch organs, mental retardation, heart and circulatory system malfunction

A brief story about HIV/AIDS

AIDS is caused by HIV This Virus is predicted to evolve from HIV virus that infect African macacca (monkey) Scientists hypotheses that HIV firstly associated with human around 40 - 100 years ago This is proved by the presence of antibody HIV1 in the blood of a person from Zaire stored since 1959 Spreading of this virus occurs as a result of people migration globally (Development in tourism industries)

Who can be infected by HIV and how the mechanism of infection? All people with high risk activities can be infected by HIV High risk activity:
Sexual intercourse with many people (infected one) Blood transfusion Sharing injection needles (narcotic user)

Once infected, the virus will remain in the body for the whole life A brief about HIV virus :
HIV is a retrovirus Its genetic component is RNA The RNA is able to do reverse transcription This RNA has the ability to integrate into the main chromosome of the host

The mechanism of HIV attack Immune system

Genetic material of virus incorporate into the DNA of T4 (helper) and form new viral replica As a result T4 cell decreases in the blood, lymph, and spleen or cannot function to protect our body from infection Low titer of T4 cell causing the T8 cells (suppressor) to increase. This result in the ratio of T4:T8 become very low and suppress the immune system The function of T4 cells are to stimulate the B cell to produce antibody Consequently, infection is easier to happen Besides that, infected T4 cells will produce soluble suppressor factor that inhibit ceetain immune system In this situation, the victims will be very easy to get secondary deadly infection

Diseases associated with AIDS

Pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis Legionella pneumonia Salmonella sp Herpes viruses Cytomegalovirus Candida albicans TBC Pneumonia Gastrointestinal diseases Skin and mucus membrane lesion Enchepalitis, Penumonia, Mucous membrane and esophagus infection Disease

Cryptococcus neoformans
Histoplasma capsulatum Toxoplasma gondii

Meningitis
Pneumonia, disseminated infections, fever Encephalitis

Oncogenes, cancer and role of virus to activate oncogenes Oncogenes

This is a latent gene in all human beings If it is activated, it can cause cancer/tumor In the normal condition, expression of this gene is suppressed by other genes located around the oncogene

Cancer
This is an uncontrolled cell division There are two types of tumor:
Malignant tumor
Cells composing this tumor are not encapsulated

Cancer (Cont ..)

Cells composing this tumor may detach from its origin, enter the blood stream, and grow in other site of the body (Metastasize) Remise often occur (the symptom of this tumor suddenly disappear), due to a certain mechanism that stop the expression of DNA DNA virus.

Benign tumor
Cells composing this tumor are encapsulated It can cause problem if its growth invade other organs

The role of virus to induce oncogenes

Some viruses, such as acute transforming retrovirus can infect certain normal cells The genetic material of this virus is RNA With the help of reverse transcriptase, this RNA is reverse transcribed into DNA The DNA formed from this process integrates into the main chromosome of the infected cell close to oncogene This viral DNA will then activate the oncogen to produce cancer protein This cancer protein will next function as growth factor that stimulate cells to continuously divide (infected cells undergo uncontrolled cell division) This leads to the formation of tumor